Zignature Duck Formula... anyone feeding Zignature?

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I am ashamed to say that Orwell has been on Purina puppy since I got him. I am currently financially dependent on my parents because I go to university so I was afraid to ask them to spend more money. But, Orwell has been gassy for more than a month and his stools aren't as solid as I'd like them to be. I told my mom that I picked up a new bag of food and to my surprise she said if I was willing to spend that type of money after I leave home, she'd be willing to pay for it until then. (: I picked Zignature based on the price. It's not as expensive as Orijen, but has many of the same ingredients and vegetable/meat ratio. 

I was just wondering who has their dogs on it and if you are satisfied with it. 

We're going to make the transition soon as his Purina food is running out (thank goodness!).

[Diana Erhart]

My Charlie eats the Zignature Turkey Formula food.  He has been eating it for about 3 years now and does very well with it.  He is 8 years old and in very good health.  He is also an extremely picky eater and this is the only food I have ever found over the years that he will eat every single day.  I am very satisfied with the product.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Thank you. Good to know. 

My Orwell is not picky, so I don't have to worry about that. His issue is that he would eat anything I put in front of him even if it was bad for him like this Purina food makes him gassy. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Zignature is a good choice, and a thousand times better than Purina. 

(My only issue with it is that the Omega 6:3 ratio is not very good in most of the formulas. It's still probably better than Purina's, but not at all comparable to Orijen or many other lines. The nutritional profile is fine, but also not comparable to Orijen's, just to be clear.)

Make sure that you feed 1.5 to 2 times the amount recommended for adult dogs, as noted on the feeding guidelines on the website. 

For transitioning, because there is such an extreme difference between the two foods in terms of macronutrients, calories, and actual ingredients, you can't just replace a portion of the Purina with an equal portion of Zignature. You'll need to figure out how much Zignature you would feed per meal, then replace one quarter of the amount of Purina you normally feed at each meal with one quarter of a meals' worth of Zignature. Do that for a couple of days. Then go to half a meal's worth of each food for another couple of days. Then 3/4 of a meal's worth of each food for another day or two, and then 100% Zignature. On that schedule, it shouldn;t take more than a week to transition. If at any time Orwell tries to pick out just the Zignature, go ahead and cold turkey. 

Expect a little gassiness for a couple of weeks to a month. It may not happen, but if it does, it's normal. 

[Kaitee and Orwell]

If I'm feeding more of Zignature, would the costs come around the same if I was feeding him Orijen? It's not too late for me to pick up another bag of food before I transition him.

Thank you for the transition tips. (: 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It depends on how much more Zignature you have to feed, and how big a price difference there is pound for pound. You'll need to look at the feeding guidelines and figure out the amounts. Then compare prices. If you need to feed twice as much Zignature as Orijen Puppy, the Zignature would need to cost less than half the price of an equal sized bag of Orijen to be "less expensive". 

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I though you would just know off the top of your head. :P 

It does actually turns out that Orijen is a little less expensive because as an adult he will only eat about 3 cups of Orijen a day versus a serving size (x2 a day) of 2.5 cups of Zignature.

I'm happy now. I can go with Orijen. :D I'm really all about giving my baby the best.   

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is why we always say you can't really tell if one food is more expensive than another just by the price on the bag. 

I'm happy too. :) 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You might also look at Wellness CORE Puppy. It's a very good quality grain-free puppy food that's widely available. 

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I started switching Orwell over to Orijen a couple days ago. He is already less gassy! You can literally see and feel the quality in the kibble compared to every kibble I've seen. He eats the Orijen side of the bowl first, so I know he likes it more than the other, but he will never pass up food if it's there. :P Therefore he still eats his allotted Purina for now until it completely goes away.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm glad he likes it and I hope that nasty Purina goes away soon, lol! 

[Kaitee and Orwell]

It'll be completely out of our lives by next week. (: